Jan. 4, 2013 - 02:43PM
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Last Updated: Jan. 4, 2013 - 02:43PM |

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A recruiter from Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland accused of having unprofessional relationships with 18 Air Force applicants and a recruiter assistant will face an evidentiary hearing Tuesday on multiple sexual assault charges, base spokesman Brent Boller said.

Tech. Sgt. Jaime Rodriguez is charged with rape, forcible sodomy, aggravated sexual contact, indecent conduct, obstruction of justice, making a false official statement and adultery, according to an Air Force news release.

Four of the alleged victims in the case involve sexual contact, said Christa D'Andrea, a spokeswoman for Air Force recruiting. The remaining 14 include allegations of inappropriate banter and conversation, sending inappropriate photographs and requesting inappropriate photographs from applicants, she said.

Though stationed at Lackland, where dozens of military training instructors are accused of misconduct with students, Rodriguez worked at a Lake Jackson, Texas, recruiting office, which is south of Houston, Boller said.

The recruiter was removed from his duties in November 2011, when the mother of an Air Force applicant found inappropriate text messages between her daughter and Rodriguez and reported it, D'Andrea said. A more than year-long investigation led to the other 17 alleged victims, she said.

Rodriguez, who enlisted in 1999, had been a recruiter at Lake Jackson since August 2008, the spokeswoman said. He has been assigned to a nearby Army National Guard unit since the allegations arose.

An Article 32, or preliminary hearing, for Rodriguez is scheduled to begin Tuesday morning, the same day Master Sgt. Jamey Crawford, a military training instructor at Lackland is set to face an Article 32 on charges he had inappropriate relationships with trainees. Charges against Crawford were withdrawn in September but refiled.